COPE Commissioner wants to make City parks greener

COPE Park Board Commissioner Loretta Woodcock will move a motion at the next Park Board meeting with the intention of making our parks environmentally greener. “Last year, we had 8 million people visiting Stanley Park alone, and while millions are enjoying our parks, they are often consuming recyclable beverage that are unfortunately ending up in our garbage bins. We do not currently have the capacity to deal with these recyclables, but I hope after Monday’s board meeting we will be taking genuine steps to change this situation,” states Woodcock.

On April 2, Loretta Woodcock will be asking the Board to approve her motion that Park Board staff study the feasibility of attaching recycling racks to the outside of garbage cans in the city’s most visited parks. She is proposing that these racks would be very similar to those we already have attached to garbage bins around our City. These allow people to put their recyclables on the rack outside the bin instead of in the garbage, eventually ending up in the landfill.

“This idea just makes common sense, why would we put recyclable matter into the garbage? Attaching the racks not only encourages people to sort out their own recyclables, saving the Park Board money in garbage pick-up, but it also allows people to take away these items without having to root through the bins,” argues Woodcock.

A recent audit from 2004-06 indicates that recyclable materials make up one percent of all garbage in city bins. “This statistic indicates the needs of the Park Board to support my motion and show that it is committed to building more sustainable parks. The 2010 Olympic Games are quickly approaching, and the restored Stanley Park will be the pride of the Park Board, therefore recycling more of Park users’ waste should be a part of our sustainable Olympic Legacy at the Park Board,” concludes Woodcock.

Woodcock’s motion asks Park Board staff to study of the feasibility of adding recycling racks on a trail basis in the cities most visited park. Starting with Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, Hastings Park as well as China Creeks Skate Park and then expanding the program to all the City Parks once the program’s success has been assessed.

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The Coalition of Progressive Electors was formed in 1968 as a coalition of the Vancouver and District Labour Council, housing activists, and residents concerned with the municipal government's inaction on important issues for working people. COPE is committed to a just and sustainable city and will work to achieve this by providing options to meet basic needs that reduce emissions and support environmental well-being. COPE is a strong and vocal opponent of development and resource exploitation that endangers the health and well-being of our planet and future generations.